The Indianapolis journal., 1887-12-11
TOBACCO WILL COST MORE
Failure of the Last Years Crop Causes
an Advance in the Price of Plug.
How the Consumer Has Been Benefited by the
Reduction in the Tax on Tobacco-Work
of indianapolis Cigar Manufacturers.

The tobacco CROP the past season, has had
hard time of it, the yield not being more than
ona-third that of former years On this account
plug. dealers say, is advancing. the leading
brands having increased during the last
few weeks fully cents per pound II
it was burdened with a "a cent tax. the con-
sumner could get for dime about a half days
supply. AS it is, he could before the advance
began buy four ounces of good quality for lO
cents. A pound lump is twelve inches long.
and when it to the consumer with the
tax on it, the dealer cut it into eight plugs.
He now divides the lump into six pieces.
and a short while ago got only five
out of it. The consumer. it is said,
has the benefit of the reduced
tax, which has brought. for example, the ono
brand referred to, 43 cents pound wholesale,
when two three years ago it was sold at 5S
cents. An excellent quality of chewing tobacco
was put upon the market at 40 cents a pound
and its Jumps were divided into quarters, each
of which sold for 10 cents. The manufacturers
can make a profit such tobacco, but at this
time the dealers cannot sell it. for other brands,
which are better, although little higher.
have gained favor. In a short while the demand
may change and place the popular brands in the
background when for months they will be almost
into favor again. A dealer asked the other
day as to the specifcpoints of difference between
the many named tobaccos
There is but very little difference in the. to-
baccos of the same grade, he replied. "a man
ufactured tobacco is called this and that because
the manufacturer has some special process of
preparing ir for the market The same ingredi-
ents are used but they differ in combination.
One brand, for instance, may have little more
licorice in it than another. The popularity of
tobacco depends altogether upon the taste of the
consumer. He may, for year or two, call for
nothing but certain brand, and he will have no
other, but he becomes tired of it, when a new
kind may win his fancy. This, in turn gives
way to the old favorlte again. or another new
one which the chewer may fancy has some spe-
cial excellence"
HAS the reduction of tax increased the
sumption2'
"Yes, and with chewers the desire is for plug.
We do not sell one-tenth the fine-cut We did
when thes heavy tax WAS in force. frstrate
quality of fne-cut cannot be manufactured
much cheaper than it was a few years ago. The
consumer gets but little more for dime, while
in plug his dime will bring him enough, if he
is an average chewer, to last him three or four
days. The consumption of cigars Is also largely
increased, the certainty of getting one for
FIVE cents, for which two three years ago he
would have been compelled to pay ten, has
lessened the demand for smoking tobacco Old
smokers, who took to pipes when cigars
were dear, and working men are the
consumers of smoking tobacco. In
reducing the cigar tax So, the consumers and
cigar makers are benefited. rather than the
manufacturers. The former, instead Of buying
cigars that sold two or three for a quarter. now
obtain cigar just as good for five cents. 1
know scores of smokers who, two or three years
ago, would look at nothing but straight ten
center Now they satisfied with the five
cigar, and many prefer a short one that is
sold at the rate of five or six for dime. The
cigars cheapened, not by the inferior grade
of tobacco, but in their manufacture. Mixed
filling and Sumatra wrapper generally
ten-csnt grade little better quality of
binder and Sumatra wrapper There is another
class of goods sold at retail for 5 cents that
have Connecticut or Wisconsin binder and i'm
ported wrapper. The general demand stops at
cigar that is sold two for quarter Expensive
imported goods asked for mostly by sporting
people and operatic singers Occasionally
well-to-do business man is able to stand the
travaeance, but that class Of customers for the
50-cent or 81 cigar is very small In larger
cities. though. there is good demand for high
priced imported cigars"
"Who are the cigarette smokersp
'sIt is astonishing how the demand for cigar
cites has increased. A young man keeps up his
attachment for cigarettes until he is tw enty-fve.
It is rarely man older than that calls for them.
one Ie oo ooo .sars,a pass os s,ery year
brand Il would be impossible to estimate the
consumption It is tremendous, and at the
same time is a great evil, for not day passes
when we do not refuse to sell to boys ranging
from six to sixteen years of age"
'Are many cigars manufactured In Indian
apolisl"
There are three firms here each of which
manufactures 100 900 cigars a month. Another
firm turns out nearly 0,000 ard there are sew
sral small manufacturers who place on the
N arket from 25, 900 to 80, 600 moo thly. The
loc al trade from these sources is rapidly in
ere asng. and one gets a very good cheap cigar
from them"